Change of Perspective
by Slytherin-Princess210
Summary: Finnick begins to see Katniss in a whole new light after finding her crying in a corner of the training room. I suck at summaries! Katniss/Finnick Rated M for suicidal themes in chapter 3. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first Hunger Games story, and my second story of any kind. Please no flames, but constructive criticisms are welcome!

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Plain and simple!

Chapter 1: Change of Perspective

It all started when Finnick was headed back to his room after another day of training. He thought he was the last one to leave until he heard the faint sound of someone sobbing. The first time he had been in the hunger games, crying wasn't uncommon. 24 tributes and all of them children. But this time was different, most were full grown adults, this time they all had some idea of what to expect having been in the games before, having killed before.

Curious, he went to investigate, and was surprised at what he found. Tucked away in a dark corner of the training room, arms around her legs and head buried in her knees to try and muffle her sobs was none other than Katniss Everdeen, The Girl on Fire.

Unsure of what to do, but for some strange reason feeling the need to do something, Finnick slowly approached Katniss as one would a wounded animal.

"Katniss?" Finnick asked softly so not to startle her too badly. "What are you doing back here? Everyone though you headed back to your room over an hour ago." Katniss jolted a bit in surprise and wiped her face with her shirt sleeve in a vain attempt to rid her face of her tears and cover up the fact she had been crying. Katniss didn't know what to say, no snarky comeback came to mind in her current state of duress.

"Here, why don't you come with me, and I'll walk you back to your room." said Finnick holding out one of his hands. "You must be exhausted, and we have to train again tomorrow." Cautiously, Katniss reached out and took the offered hand. Finnick helped pull her up and put an arm around her waist to help steady her, as her body was shaking with suppressed sobs. As he led her to the elevator she unconsciously leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Once inside the elevator, Katniss finally spoke. "Please don't leave me alone." Looking down at her in surprise, for the first time Finnick saw not The Girl on Fire, not someone who gave the Capitol a metaphorical middle finger with those nightlock berries, but a scarred 17 year old girl who went from being just another face in the crowd in District 12 to being forced to kill innocent people in a fight to death and then becoming the face of a revolution (not she knew it yet). And now she was being forced back into the arena just when she thought it was over and she would be able to continue on with a somewhat normal life.

Despite his better judgement, he pressed the button to the 4th floor and led her into his room. By now her face was practically buried in his chest and her hands were fisted in shirt. He sat her down on the bed and carefully peeled her hands from their death grip on his shirt. He then took off her shoes and tossed them to the side followed by her socks. Glancing at her face Finnick could tell she was now passed the point of crying and now looked about ready to pass out from exhaustion, so he pulled back the covers helped her settle into bed. As he stepped away to go change out of his training uniform he felt a hand weakly grasp his wrist. "Please don't leave me, everyone leaves me." Katniss says, voice full of the deliriousness one gets from lack of sleep. Finnick doesn't think she meant to say that second part aloud. He turns back to her and gently brushes a stray lock of hair from her face with his free hand.

"I'm not leaving you, I'm just going to go change clothes and then I'll be right back. I promise" He then gently removes his wrist from her grasp and walks into the bathroom to change. When he comes back he can tell that Katniss is fighting sleep, eyelids half open and drooping lower by the second. He climbed into bed next to her, now clad in sweatpants and a tank top, and pulled her to him so that her back was to his chest, head tucked under his chin. "Sleep, you need it. I'll be right here all night." As he said this he could feel some of the tension bleed from her muscles, yet not nearly enough to be called relaxed. At this moment he realized that what he had been seeing this whole time was merely a mask, that this girl was broken. But by what or who, he did not know for there were so many possibilities, but he vowed he would everything he could to put her back together.

A/N: So what did you think? I hope you liked it, please review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Onyx682 – Thank you for being my first review! I ship Katniss/Finnick too, there needs to be more stories that ship them!

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Plain and simple.

"Plain speech"

" _Thoughts/Thinking"_

Chapter 2

When Finnick awoke the next morning, he was confused as to why there was another person in bed with him, but after a few seconds everything that had happened the night before came rushing back. Looking at the clock he saw they were due in the training center in one hour, and he still needed to get Katniss back to her room before anyone noticed she hadn't returned last night. He doubted she wanted to have to explain to anyone why she had spent the night with Finnick, assuming they were given a chance to explain. The last thing they needed was for the media to think there was a love triangle going on between him, Peeta and Katniss. Though now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Peeta and Katniss speak to each other in the entire week they had been here other than in interviews. And what had Katniss meant last night when she said everyone leaves her?

So deciding they needed to get up before someone noticed she was missing, he put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Katniss? You need to get up, we have to be in the training center soon." Slowly Katniss opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, confusion written on her face. "Finnick?" Katniss asked. "What am I doing in your room?"

"I found you hiding in the training center last night." He replied. "You said you didn't want to be alone so I brought you here." He watched as her face drained of color as she recalled the previous night. "Katniss?" Finnick tentatively asked. "When was the last time you slept? I can see from your face you haven't been getting enough rest, and you nearly passed out as soon as you laid down last night."

"I can't remember." Katniss admitted. She didn't know why but Finnick made her feel safe, like she could tell him anything. _"But he'll just leave you like everyone else!"_ she scolded herself. _"Mom, Prim, Gale, Peeta; They all turned their backs on me. I should have never tried to stand up to The Capitol, all that did was make things worse than they already were."_ Every time she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, all she saw was her mother leaving telling her that her actions had her and Prim in danger. Gale yelling at her that he thought she loved him like he had loved her. Right before pushing her to the ground and walking away leaving her alone in the woods. Peeta was avoiding her, when she confronted him about it the day before, he told her he didn't really love her. That he had realized what he thought was just a childhood crush, and she should stay away from him so as to not give the press anymore ideas about their supposed relationship.

Katniss now realized that she had never really had a chance to live her life. After her father died in a mining accident her mother when into a depression, leaving Katniss to take care of herself and her younger sister Prim. Then when she volunteered in place of her sister she spent the next 2 months training and fighting for her life (when she wasn't being dressed up like a doll and shoved in front of cameras that is) and just when she thought thing could be somewhat normal, President Snow visited her, threatening he life and the lives of those she loved. The moment Peeta decided to ignore her, her fate had been decided. She just hoped that Snow would be satisfied with her death and leave her family alone.

So when Finnick found her crying in the corner of the training center she didn't know what to expect, but definitely not for him to be so gentle and caring with her. To stay with her when she pleaded not to be left alone, to pull her to him in a protective embrace allowing her to get the first full nights she'd had in weeks. Without even knowing, Finnick had given her the one thing she truly wanted. For someone to stay with her. For someone to protect her, instead of her doing the protecting for once. She hadn't realized that she had started crying again until she felt Finnick brush the tears from her face with his thumb, cradling her face in his hand as her did so.

"What are you thinking about that has you so sad?" questioned Finnick. Slowly he pulled them up so that his back was resting on the headboard and she was leaning on his chest. "Why bother being so nice to me?" she asked him "You're just going to leave me like everyone else." Finnick tightened his grim on her as he replied "it's not a bother, I can't explain it but when I found you last night I just knew that I had to do something. I'm not going to leave you"

"You promise?" She asked.

"I promise." He said with such conviction in his voice that Katniss could help but believe him. "But right now we need to get up. We have to get to the training center before people start looking for us." Her face fell at his words, and wished more anything that he could take her away with him somewhere safe when no one would hurt her ever again. But he knew that he couldn't, at least not yet. He had been working with the underground resistance on a way to get the tributes out of the arena and hopefully put an end to the games. Unfortunately the plan counted on them being inside the arena so they could stage an accident that would take out the force fields and any cameras in the area. He decided that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Katniss was kept alive until then, not because Plutarch and Coin wanted her as the face of the revolution, but because she deserved a chance at a normal life. A life away from the machinations of The Capitol and the poverty of District 12, and he wanted to be the one to give her that chance.

So despite the fact that neither of them wanted to move from their current position, they had to if they didn't want someone to come looking for them. Finnick let go of his hold on Katniss and went to go change into his training uniform. Seeing as Katniss never changed out of her uniform last night, there was no need to try to sneak to her room unseen. They both left Finnick's room and walked to the elevator in silence. No one took notice that they had walked into the training room together, too busy with their own training. Or so they thought at first. Off to the side with the other mentors who were chatting with each other or observing their tributes was Haymitch. As Katniss and Finnick split to go to their respective training stations, Finnick saw Haymitch looking their way, giving him look of suspicion, and something else Finnick couldn't describe. Ignoring it for now Finnick focused on his training. He couldn't afford for the other tributes to see him distracted and think him an easy target.

As Finnick walked out of the training center that evening, his path to the elevator was blocked by Haymitch. "Just what do you think you're doing trident-boy?" Asked Haymitch, arms crossed over his chest.

"Well right now I'm trying to go back to my room." Finnick snarked.

"I mean with Katniss, smart-ass." said Haymitch.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean." Replied Finnick

"Katniss never came back to the 12th floor last night, and this morning she walked in with you in the same training uniform she wore yesterday. You're lucky I'm the only one who noticed." said Haymitch."

"What's it to you?" Finnick questioned. He then walked around Haymitch towards the elevator, only for Haymitch to grab him by the elbow and hold him back.

"I don't know what you're up to, but that girl has been through enough." Haymitch said in a serious voice that was uncharacteristic of him. "She going to be upset enough when she finds out that Plutarch and Coin intend to use her as a figurehead, and I'm not going to let you hurt her any more than she already has been."

"What do you mean hurt? What has happened to her that hasn't already been covered by the media in detail?" asked Finnick in a concerned voice that surprised Haymitch, not that he let it show.

"It's not my place to say, if Katniss wanted you to know she'd have told you." replied Haymitch "Just know that is you hurt her, you won't make it to the arena, plan be damned." Haymitch then let go off his arm and walked off. As Finnick rode the elevator up to his room, he wondered if what Haymitch alluded to could have anything to do with why he had found Katniss crying the night before.

A/N: There's chapter 2. I know it's not an ideal place to leave off, but it's after 2 am and I'm exhausted. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Until next time, and don't forget to R&R! See that button down there? Click it!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So I had a slight case of writers block with this chapter for some reason, so I hope you like how this turned out! Oh, I almost forgot to mention, for the purposes of this story Finnick and Annie were not a thing, they are merely friends. Don't forget to R&R!

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Plain and simple!

Chapter 3: Budding Trust

Try as he might, Finnick couldn't get Katniss out of his mind as he laid in bed starring at the ceiling. With a sigh of frustration, Finnick decided to get up and go for a walk. The halls were deserted so Finnick strolled through the halls undisturbed and lost in his thoughts. Thoughts of a girl so drastically different from how he first perceived her to be. He entered the elevator to go to the roof, the cool night air would be welcome change from the stuffy training center.

However, once the door to the elevator opened and he stepped out on to the room, he noticed he was not alone. Standing with her arms resting on the railing, looking up at the sky was the one person he couldn't stop thinking about. Quietly, so as to stay undetected, Finnick approached her. As he got closer he could see her face was red and that she had old tear tracks running down her face. What truly disturbed him though, was that her face was completely void of emotion. That's when he noticed she wasn't resting her arms on the railing, but gripping it. This, paired with the way her body way angled forward slightly led him to think she was contemplating doing the worst. An epiphany came to his so suddenly, it scared him. Though they had barely spoken to words to each other before the previous night, the thought of this girl taking her life made his chest feel tight. He suddenly realized that he was beginning to care for her, and seeing her in so much pain was killing him.

"Katniss. Why don't you step away from the edge...?" Still unaware that he was there, Katniss jolted slightly at his words. She whipped her head around to look at him. While her face may have held no emotion, with her looking directly at him Finnick could see now that her eyes held so much pain. "It's kind of cold out, don't you think? Why don't we head back inside?" Finnick said while inching closer towards her.

"What's the point? I'm dead one way or another." Katniss said. Looking back towards the sky; voice breaking slightly as she spoke. "Even if I manage to win the games, he will never let me live. It's not as though anyone will miss me anyway." Finnick was didn't know who 'He' was, but that wasn't important right now. Having gotten close enough, he lunged for her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pinning her arms to her side as he did so, and pulled her away from the railing. Katniss struggled, trying to break his hold on her, but Finnick held on. He simply held on as tight as he could, not willing to let her go.

"I would miss you." Finnick told her. Realizing she couldn't break his hold, Katniss stopped struggling and went limp in his arms. "I promised I won't leave you, remember?" He said into her hair. Once Finnick felt she wasn't going to attempt anything else, he lifted her into his arms so that one arms was holding up her back and the other under her legs. Katniss gripped his shirt with one hand and rested her head on his shoulder. Once inside the elevator, Finnick used his elbow to press the button to the 12th floor. Though Haymitch may have been the only one to notice this time, others may notice if Katniss came to training in the same uniform three days in a row. After a short ride down to her floor Finnick easily found the door labeled with her name on a temporary plaque.

With his arm still supporting her back her carefully used his hand to open her door. Inside he found a bed that looked like it hadn't bed slept in the entire time they had been here, and all the meals that had been delivered for the past 2 days hadn't been touched. Since it was a Quarter Quell, victors to boot, the Capitol felt that the tributes might want to spend time alone planning strategies, rather than being forced to eat with their mentor, reaper, and fellow district tribute. So they all had their own suites, a fully stocked fridge, and meals delivered twice a day at lunch and dinner.

Setting her down on the couch he, moved towards the kitchen took a bowl of grapes and a bottle of water from the fridge. He then walked back over to the couch and sat down next to her. He set the grapes and water on the end table next to him and pulled her into his arms. "Katniss, you have to eat something. Please."

"I'm not hungry." she whispered, so quite he almost didn't hear her.

"You haven't slept in a week, and you haven't eaten in two days. At this rate you won't even make it into the arena." Finnick was at a loss of what to do.

"It won't make a difference. I'm dead no matter what I do, he'll kill me."

"Who, who's going to kill you?"

"Snow. He came to see me before the victory tour. He angry and me for the berries. I supposed to stop the rebellions by convincing everyone I'm in love with Peeta, but I can't. Peeta won't speak to me, and even if he was, that wouldn't be I would have to spend the rest of my life with someone I don't love." She was rambling now, once she stared speaking she couldn't stop. "Gale left me because he thought I was in love with Peeta. My mother left me and took prim with her after Snow left, because she realized that if I failed I would get them killed too. I hardly had anyone to begin with, and now I have no one. What's the point in competing in the games if I'm just going to die anyway?" At the end of her speech she was sobbing, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks.

"You have me. And I'm not going to let you die. By your own hand or anyone else's." He reached over and grabbed the bowl of grapes and held the bowl out to Katniss. "Can you try to eat? Even if it's just a handful?"

Slowly she reached towards the bowl in front of her and pluck a grape from the bunch. Finnick began to gently run one of his hands through her hair as she proceed to eat half the grapes in the bowl; he smiled at this small victory. When she stopped eating, he took the bowl and set it back down on the table. He wished he could convince her to eat more, but knew he shouldn't push her. Somehow he had managed to get her to start opening up to him, didn't want to risk her shutting back down. He was about to hand her to water bottle, when he noticed she had fallen asleep in his arms.

Carefully, he leaned further back into the corner where the back of the couch and the armrest met, pulling her closer to him so that she was in his lap. He knew that the few hours last night was the only sleep she gotten in the week since the reaping, he didn't want to move them to the bed and risk waking her. His own eyelids began to feel heavy, so he let himself succumb the darkness of sleep.

A/N: Chapter 3 finished! I don't know why I had so much trouble with this one, but I think it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Tell me what you think. How, you ask? See that button down there? Click it and share your thoughts!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Plain and simple.

A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't been updating! I have not abandoned this story, but updates will be sporadic. I have been extremely ill this past year, enough so that I had to drop out of school and nearly had to quit my job. I'm on the mend now, and hopefully I will make a full recovery soon. Also, I'm an idiot and accidently deleted chapter 2 and 3 and had to repost them, so that's why notifications went out for those chapters even though they've been up for months.

"Plain speech"

" _Thoughts/Thinking"_

Chapter 4: Upset and Confusion

For the second morning in a row, Finnick woke up next to Katniss. Only this time, they were on the couch in her room and she was curled up in his arms. He couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked while sleeping. _"What I wouldn't give for you to be this unburdened all the time."_ Thought Finnick. _"You deserve better than this."_ Though he had only known her for a short time, Finnick could tell the he was starting to develop feeling towards Katniss, and he knew there was no stopping it.

As he watched her, Katniss's eyelids started to flutter open as she awoke. When she seemed to have a bearing on her surroundings, she untangled herself from his arms and backed herself into the far side of the couch. Finnick wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't that.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" asked Finnick, confused.

"Why? Why do you care about me?" She said, sounding slightly hysterical. "Shouldn't you love the fact that I'm sleep deprived, that I hadn't eaten? One less threat to worry about in the arena! I'll be an easy target! Better yet, you should have just let me jump!" she got off the couch and made her way to the door. Finnick jumped up and grabbed her by the waist before she could open the door. She began kicking and hitting him in an attempt to make him let go, but he was determined to hold on.

"I don't want you to be an easy target, Katniss." He said as he struggled to hold on to the flailing girl in his arms. At this point Katniss nailed Finnick hard in the side with her elbow and he dropped her. When she made for the door again, he quickly tackled her and pinned her beneath him on floor, straddling her hips and gripping her wrists to either side of her head with his hands. He held her there until she had calmed down, her chest heaving with every breath from her failed efforts to free herself. "Katniss, look at me." she turned her head to the side. He then transferred his grip so his was holding both her wrists in one hand. With his now free hand he grasped her chin and forced her to face him. "Look at me!" Finnick said in a firm tone. When she finally met his gaze he spoke again. "I don't want you to die, and I certainly won't be the one to kill you. I've told you before, and I'll tell you every day until you believe me if I have to, I'm not leaving you." He could see the doubt in her eyes, but he continued. "There's more going on than you know, but you have to hold on. Don't give up yet."

"More than I…" Katniss started to say with a perplexed look on her face. "What are you not telling me?"

"I don't know the full details yet." explained Finnick "But there's a plan to get the tributes out of the arena. Your stunt with the nightlock berries sparked a resistance, but it's been hard to communicate for fear of being discovered." By now Katniss had calmed down enough that Finnick felt he could release Katniss from his grasp without her running out of the room and drawing unwanted attention to themselves. He glanced at to clock on the wall and saw that there was still a couple hours until they had to be back in the training center, so hopefully the way to his room would be clear of people.

"I have to go back to my room and get ready before it's too late." Said Finnick. "There will be a lot of unwanted questions in people see me coming out of your room in my pajamas. Training stars in 2 hours, I'll see you down there. At least try to eat some toast before you head down." And with that he kissed her on the forehead and left, leaving behind a started and somewhat confused Katniss staring after him.

A/N: That's it for this chapter! Again, I'm so sorry for not updating. I know this chapter isn't very long, but I wanted to get SOMTHING posted for this story. R&R! It's been awhile, so let me know what you think by clicking that little button down there to leave a review!


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